Discovering Our Promise - Girlguiding Birmingham

1 Discovering Our Promise From the Arts Team, Girlguiding Birmingham I Promise that I will do my best: To be true to myself and develop my beliefs, To serve the Queen and my community, To help other people and To keep the (Brownie) Guide Law I Promise that I will do my best To think about my beliefs and to be kind and helpful Welcome to Discovering our Promise Pack The Promise is one of the central factors in Girlguiding . It is one of the things that makes us special. It can be one of the hardest things to work into the programme and this pack is designed to help. You can use it to work towards the badge that can be ordered using the sheet at the back, or you can use it as just a resource, or you can just buy the badge. We have tried to put together ideas to help you weave the Promise into your programme. The ideas start with the more complicated and work through to simpler ones. We didn t want to divide into sections as you know your unit, what will suit you and how you can adapt ideas to make it work for you.

2 You decide how much your unit needs to do to earn the badge. If the pack is successful and we are able to issue more editions then we will create a new badge design so if your unit has ideas for please send them to us. We are very grateful to the Guiders who have helped us with this particularly those who have been generous in sharing their ideas on places such as Pinterest and Guiding forums. We do not claim all these ideas as our own but have collated, what we think are, brilliant ideas. We have given credit where we can and if we have used your idea we hope that you are flattered we included it. If we haven t credited the idea it is because we didn t know it was yours so if you let us know we will add on your name/website and we are so sorry we couldn t ask your permission first. We have done our very, very best to ask permission where we could. We have had many of these ideas, amongst us, for ages, so we have no idea where we got them from and are aware of copyright issues but have done all we can not to infringe it.

3 If we have missed your idea it may be because we didn t see it so please feel free to send it to us for possible inclusion in later editions of the pack. We would like this to be a growing and changing set of ideas so we would welcome feedback and more ideas. Please send them to us at This is us, keeping our Promise , in trying to serve the Guiding community and help other people. We would love it if you bought the badge to help us raise money for our County but it is fine if you don t. Thank you Clair Ellinor, Alison Adkins, Emma James, Lin Jenks, Janet Jones, Lizzi Payne It is always important to remember that the Promise only ever asks us to do our best. It is not a competition with others and there will be times when we may not do as well as we would like. We can only try. Being True to Myself This is often the hardest part of the Promise as it is asking us to choose to do the right action in a situation. It means following what we believe over what people pressure us to do.

4 This is not always the easy way or the way that our friend is choosing. We need to be comfortable with who we are and not be influenced by others around us. Peer pressure is sometimes hard to overcome but over time we learn the skills and develop confidence. You need to be able to stand up for yourself and others, to make up your own mind, to recognise and develop your talents, respect yourself and be happy with who you are. We never know how high we areWe never know how high we areWe never know how high we areWe never know how high we are Till we are called to rise;Till we are called to rise;Till we are called to rise;Till we are called to rise; And then, if we are true to then, if we are true to then, if we are true to then, if we are true to plan. Our statures touch the skies. Our statures touch the skies. Our statures touch the skies. Our statures touch the skies. (Emily Dickenson, American po(Emily Dickenson, American po(Emily Dickenson, American po(Emily Dickenson, American poet.))))

5 Et.)et.)et.) What to do: Give out the quotations and situations (see next 2 pages) to groups of girls. Look at the quotations then see which one fits in best with each situation. Get the groups to feed back some of their ideas. Which is their favourite quotation and why? Which is the quotation that they think means the least and why? Quotations When one s mind is made up, this diminishes fear; knowing what must be done does away with fear. Rosa Parks, African-American civil rights activist Life is not easy for any of us. So what? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. Marie Curie, chemist and physicist The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don t have any. Alice Walker, author Don t let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It s your place in the world; it s your life. Go on and do all you can with it and make it the life you want to live. Mae C Jemison, first African-American woman astronaut To me success means effectiveness in the world, that I am able to carry my ideas and values into the world that I am able to change it in positive ways.

6 Maxine Hong Kingston, author I m fulfilled in what I do. I never thought that a lot of money or fine clothes .. would make me happy. My concept of happiness is to be filled in a spiritual sense. Coretta Scott King, wife of Martin Luther King Jr Be thankful for what you have; you ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don t, you will never, ever have enough. Oprah Winfrey, television and media personality People want what they want. Sometimes you just have to walk in defiance of it and just be yourself. Meryl Streep, actor Those that mind don t matter, those that matter don t mind. Bernard Baruch, US Presidential advisor Situations Someone has failed in something eg an exam, audition, getting a job, being picked for something. Someone being bullied. Someone thinking about what being true to themselves means. Someone nervous about something eg new job, school, college Someone who has been dumped by their boyfriend. Someone who thinks that something is unfair/wrong at school.

7 Someone who has done something embarrassing eg forgotten their lines in a class assembly. Guide Foldy Thingy This fun little game will help girls learn their laws. Print off and give to girls to complete and keep. For the full sized version and to see the other brilliant things created by Vicky Smith go to Friendship Bracelet/Necklace There are many variations of this craft. You will need appropriate lengths of coloured wool, loom bands, ribbon or thread, depending on what you are making. Brownies need 3 beads or a pattern of 3 recurring colours to remind them of the 3 parts of their Promise . Older girls can use 3 colours for the Promise and/or 6 colours for the Laws. Thread the beads and either plait or knot to keep them in place. You could add a bell which represents the sound of friendship ringing throughout the world. A friendship bracelet or necklace only becomes one when it is given to a friend. has more ideas and this picture came from there. Extra Resources Go to Guide Law resources This gives an excellent game of Twister to download and more is added frequently.

8 Pinterest has some great ideas. Troop 1094 girl scout Troop has some good ideas but there are lots of others there too. obviously. If you put Promise Activities into the search it works no, really, it is top of the second page! You are Unique and Not Alone What you need A copy of the Trefoil on card or stiff paper. You can make the badge bigger on a photocopier or by clicking on it and expanding it. We have only made it this size to fit into the pack. Magazines Thanks again to Vicky Smith (2nd Kingsbridge Guides) for her help What to do Everyone holds their Promise Badge in the palm of their hand and say (or something like), Your badge is a symbol of the Promise and of your Promise the Promise of how much more brilliant you will be when you build on how wonderful you are now by keeping your Promise . Your badge is also the symbol of how you are an important part of the worldwide family of Guiding and our family is only great because of girls like you. If you ever think, I m not sure I can do this or I m not good at stuff like this your badge should remind you of how you have strength in being unique but also being part a group of brilliant girls here and all over the world.

9 Remember something you didn t know how to do but now find easy, riding a bike, tying a knot, skipping, pitching a tent, tying your shoes. Find pictures or words to stick on your Trefoil to be a reminder of how talented and special you are. You could include things you would like to learn too. There is an alternative way of doing this on the girl Guides Australia site under The Promise and Law Discussion and starters as well as Promise and Law resources. Walk the Talk We all have different beliefs about things big (eg to do with religion) and little (favourite TV show or sweets). We all have a right to have our own beliefs and we are lucky to live somewhere that values tolerance. Learning tolerance is about accepting others differences but also understanding that many things we believe in are the same. Also, sometimes we need reminders about our beliefs and to think about how we will put them into practice and walk the talk horrid phrase we know but it fits with the imagery!

10 This activity aims to do both! What you need Sheets of different coloured paper and a larger piece for display, depending on how you carry out the activity. Scissors, felt tips and glue/sticky tape/stapler. What to do Talk about your beliefs God(s), behaviour eg manners, age you are allowed to do things eg staying at home on your own. You can keep things serious or maybe add in things like what they believe to be their favourite pop group etc. What about beliefs to do with Community and World? Do they believe they should pick up litter, donate to charities working abroad? You could give them categories such as beliefs linked to religion, rights for eg privacy, best way to spend free time etc. Give each girl a small sheet of coloured paper, ask her to draw around her foot and then write one of their beliefs on it. They can repeat as much as time and paper allow. Ask them to cut out their feet and glue them all together in a circular shape. It will depend on your age group and how many ideas you have had if you stick them together toe to heel or like flower petals.